THE ENGLISH CIVIL WARS SOLDIERS, ARMOUR AND WEAPONSa) PIKEMAN (see fig. 1 and 2)A pikeman’s armour weighed about 11kg and cost two pounds seven shillings and four pence.This was worn over a woollen jacket. The distinctive pikeman’s pot helmet was lined, but as it couldnot stop musket balls, it was often replaced by a woollen cap.A pikeman carried about 25 kg in totalincluding breast and backplate, helmet, 4.5 metre (16 foot) pike, knapsack and a sword. However,armour was phased out 1642–5, certainly pikemen in the New Model Army were not armed.Thepike was an excellent defensive weapon employed in mass, especially against cavalry.The cavalryrarely broke infantry ranks except when the footsoldiers were tired. Infantry fought in deepformations of about 6 ranks.

b) MUSKETEER (see fig. 3)In 1632 Charles I urged the revival of the longbow which could be fired at six times the rate of amusket. However, it only took a few days to train a musketeer in the loading of a musket and theuse of volley fire, whereas training a longbowman took years.A musketeer cost about £1 19s 6d toarm. He had little armour, except perhaps a steel helmet.Attached to his bandolier, or cross– belt,were twelve wooden bottles each containing a charge of gunpowder. He would be equipped with asword for hand to hand combat. Reloading a musket took at least thirty seconds.The match-lockmusket weighed about 7kg and was often fired resting on a stand. It could kill up to 400 metres, butthe effective range was ‘when you could see the whites of the eyes of the enemy’.The match cord was litjust before battle so the musketeer could not respond to a surprise attack.The glowing cord alsomade them very visible at night.The gun had a powerful recoil and fired a lead ball. In wetweather misfires were frequent. Dragoons were mounted infantry who rode into battle and thenfought on foot.They were armed with muskets.

ROYAL ARMOURIES MUSEUM – OBJECTS IN CONTEXT SHEET 2

Fig. 3: Musketeer’s armour from Hexham’s Principlesof the Art Military, 1642.

Fig. 2: Pikeman’s armour from Hexham’sPrinciples of the Art Military, 1642.

Fig. 1: A Pikeman

c) CAVALRY (see fig. 4)During the sixteenth century there had been several different types of cavalry according to the arms and armour carried.By 1642 there were only two; the cuirassier and the harquebusier, with two main tactical approaches; firearms based orshock based using the sword as the main weapon. Cavalrymen were trained to charge with their right knee tuckedbehind the man on their right’s left leg, in files 3 deep, and in ranks of 2 or 6 wide.The cuirassier armour was heavy andexpensive (20kg/£4–5) and hampered mobility but gave maximum protection allowing the cuirassier to concentrate onusing his two pistols and carbine. Deep formations allowed them to operate like mounted musketeers. Harquebusiers woreless armour; at most a leather buff coat (£1–2), helmet, bullet-proof breastplate, backplate and a bridle gauntlet.Theycarried two flintlock pistols in the holsters of their saddles, and a sword.This meant that they had the mobility to choosebetween using pistols and charging with the sword. Charging in two or three ranks proved the more effective tactic,although initial success could be lost if victorious troopers refused to stop chasing the foe. By the end of the Civil Warscuirassiers disappeared leaving the charging harquebusier as the only cavalry.

d) ARTILLERYGunners were seen as masters of the satanic arts; a reputed gunners’ saying was “The first shot for the devil, the second for god,the third for the king”. John Milton saw cannon as “a devilish machination to plague the sons of men.” The injuries could bevery severe.At Rowton Heath, balls hit infantry at point blank range of 200 yards and there were “legs and arms flying apace.” However, the results in battle were less than expected.A major problem was the weight and immobility of guns,with even 6 pounders (sakers) weighing several tons.Also, the guns were not capable of great accuracy, so were moreuseful at sieges than fast moving actions.At Edgehill and Naseby most rounds ploughed harmlessly into the ground.

BATTLESIn the seventeenth century most battles in Europe were fought between April and November. In Britain, however, asCaptain Atkyns said; “There did hardly one week pass in which there was not a battle or skirmish fought or a beating up.” Before thebattle chaplains exhorted the troops, or used sermons to rouse the men. On 23 January 1643 the parliamentary soldiers atLeeds sang psalms.The standard formation was two wings of cavalry with the infantry in the centre.The guns were placed inpairs between the brigades.The actual battles could be terrifying. Gunpowder smoke was very thick and armies often movedto try to get up wind of each other. Due to impaired visibility accidents inevitably happened.At Crewkerne in May 1645Goring’s cavalry had a two hour exchange of fire with each other, under the impression that they were firing at the enemy.Captain Atkyns said of the battle of Landsdown 5 June 1643; “The air was so darkened with smoke of powder that for a quarter ofan hour there was no light seen but what the fire of the volleys gave: and twas the greatest storm that I ever saw,... my horse had two musketbullets in him which made him tremble under me at that rate, and I could hardly with my spurs keep him from lying down, and he did methe service to carry me off to a led horse and then died.” Victory went to the group which destroyed the organisation of itsopponents, thus turning a unit into a crowd.A defeated army often lost the will to fight.After the Battle of Marston Moorthe King’s horsemen fled to Marston Trussell churchyard, were cornered and butchered by the parliamentarians.

For further information on the armour and weapons see: David Blackmore,Arms and Armour of the English Civil Wars, 1990, ISBN: 0948092–08–4 available from:Royal Armouries Museum, tel: 0113 220 1812 or fax: 0113 220 1889.

Fig. 4: Cuirassierarmour fromJ.Bingham, Tactics ofAelian, 1616.

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Royal Armouries Education Department, Leeds LS10 1LT© Board of Trustees of the Armouries 2000. TEACHERS MAY PHOTOCOPY THIS SHEET.